'Filtermag work well with a 4 runner ?

In my opinion, a magnetic drain plug, and/or a magnet in the base of the transmission is a good idea. I don't think the magnet on the engine oil filter is particularly useful. I don't believe it will catch anything important that the filter would not take care of. A lot of the stuff in your oil that is damaging to your engine is not magnetic (silicon, carbon, aluminum), so a filter magnet is not going to have any effect on those contaminants. There will be some iron particles in the oil (mostly wear debris from the rings and cylinder walls), but these particles are likely to be blocked by the filter, if they ever leave the base pan. If you are worried about iron particles in your engine oil, why not install a magnetic drain plugs. With one of these, you'll be able to quickly see if you are getting a lot of larger iron particles in the oil whenever you change your oil.

In the case of a transmission, you are likely to get a lot more in the way of iron "chunks." A magnet in the sump will retain these and prevent them from going back through the transmission. I've had several automatic transmissions that came from the factory with rather large magnets in the transmission sump. There is a lot of steel on steel contact in a transmission that can generate debris of a size that can be damaging.

The transmission already has a magnet, and I think the diff does too.

Ray O and Ed, thanks, Ray, does the existing transmission magnet need to be cleaned periodically ? and can you tell me if it is internal or external (I would assume internal)

(Maybee the Royal Purple synthetic folks make or have some ownership in Filtermag and are pushing it ?) the Royal Purple synthetic folks state that the oil filter mag will help prevent a catastrophic engine destruction should a major engine malady come about...

Ed, I did look at your pages, and am impressed. I probably have missed it, but what is your pick for best and second best air filter for (for example) the 2006 4runner ?

FJ

The transmission fluid should be drained and refilled according to the schedule in your owner's manual. Some people advocate removing the transmission pan and changing the screen when the fluid is changed, but that is not specified as periodic maintenance, and I don't bother with my own vehicles. If you elect to remove the pan, the magnets are in the bottom of the inside of the pan and can be cleaned off. I would not bother replacing the screen; a cleaning should be sufficient.

The theory is good, however, if a part of the engine like the camshaft or lifters fails catastrophically, I would still disassemble the engine to inspect bearing surfaces. If you are changing your oil in accordance with the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, the likelihood of a catastrophic engine failure are pretty slim.

I always use Toyota oil filters and have not had a problem.

Your best bet for an air filter is the OEM filter. "High performance" filters like I&NO are made to pass a greater volume of air, and in order to achieve the greater volume, it has to trap fewer particles. This results in more rapid engine wear and oil contamination, which a filter magi will not trap. If you are looking for longevity, stick to OEM.

Thanks, Ray. I appreciate the response. With 4 million Toyota's sold last year, Toyota should likely have figured out the best air filter for the purpose. I will be using synthetic and a comparable oil filter for synthetic. If the magnets had that kind of value on the oil filters, it would not be expensive to add them to all Toyotas and other makes.

this page is what I was looking at, originally:

thanks, FJ

IMO, Toyota brand oil filters are reasonably priced, about the same as a mid-grade aftermarket filter. If you have a V6 and want a little more capacity, try the Toyota OEM filter for the V8, if the same filters are not specified.

When I searched around to see what you were talking about, I happened across the same page.

If you decide to use synthetic, note that the owner's manual and faq pages on Toyota's web site recommend that you do not increase the oil change interval.

Thanks again, Ray. the last paragraph has me intrigued. I don't really mind the higher cost of the synthetic, and don't mind changing it at

5k, which is the US 4runner manual interval.

But the vaunted calling card of synthetic is much longer intervals between changes.

If there a factor beyond the usual assumptions as to the value of the

5K changes in synthetic oil (such as Mobil 1 or Royal Purple), such as other components which would not do well without 5K changes, I am indeed interested.

I am not a specialist in the properties of oil. You will get a lot of people speculating and guessing this and that, but most of it is speculation.

I will give the same advice I used to give customers who asked me about extended oil change intervals: If you want the automaker to warrant the car if something goes wrong, follow the automaker's maintenance requirements and recommendations. If you want the oil company to warrant the engine, go ahead and follow the oil company or oil filter maker's recommendations. By the way, in 15 years of working for an automaker, I have seen oil companies and oil filter companies pay for exactly 0 engine repairs or replacements.

Hi Ray,

-Never intended to rile you up. It was a purely mechanical question. You have much more experience with mechanics than I and I wondered if there was a factor that I was missing. The warranty value is enough for me. Best wishes, FJ

PS - any idea where the physical location of the thermometer (not thermostat) is in the 4runner ? It must be reading the air, as the temperature on the dashboard readout drops when getting going on the freeway. It would unlikely be a surface reading thermometer...

No problem, I was not riled up, just trying to present an additional logical reason to choose OEM over aftermarket filters. I am not saying that an aftermarket filter maker will not cover damage caused by their filters, just that I have not heard of a case where they did.

The exterior ambient air sensors on Toyotas are usually located under the bumper, in front of the radiator. IIRC, it looks like a mini-horn.